Phil Roberts 
The symbiote has found its perfect partner for Tom Hardy’s hotly-anticipated sequel
Who would have seen this news coming?
Andy Serkis is officially directing Venom 2. Let that sink in for a second. ANDY SERKIS, King Kong, Black Panther, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings legend…will be taking the reins of the Venom franchise and will bring his vision of Marvel’s greatest anti-hero to the big screen.
Despite receiving generally negative reviews, Tom Hardy‘s symbiote Marvel flick went on to haul in a mammoth box office return of $856 million prompting Sony Pictures to greenlight a sequel. With original director Ruben Fleischer occupied with Zombieland: Double Tap, the studio is eager to bring in a fresh face to lead the project and Andy Serkis, despite not being on everyone’s radar has landed the responsibility.
Not that it should come as any real surprise. The screen legend brings with him a wealth of experience both in front of and behind the camera. Serkis served as the second unit director on The Hobbit Trilogy, before making his directorial debut with the biographical drama Breathe. Serkis then took the helm of the performance-capture behemoth Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle for Netflix and in doing so crafted an incredible visual treat for the eyes.
His wealth of experience on both sides of the camera makes him the perfect candidate for the job. He knows the Marvel Universe inside and out following his spell as supervillain Ulysses Klaue in both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther and he has had a hand in almost every notable franchise over the last ten years.
In response to the news, Serkis took to Instagram to share his thoughts:
For me, this is a bold but inspired step for Sony Pictures. The studio has a particularly chequered past when it comes to its Marvel properties and assigning Andy Serkis to steer the next phase of the Venom universe makes perfect sense. His creative vision alone makes his appointment all the more exciting and I cannot wait to see what visual treats he has in store for Venom. The finale of Venom set up a highly anticipated face-off with his arch-nemesis Cletus Kasady/Carnage played by Woody Harrelson.
Whether or not Serkis will continue with that storyline remains to be seen, but with the fans already chomping at the bit to see their epic confrontation, it would make perfect sense to realise their clash under the custodianship of a performance-capture visionary like Andy Serkis. Either way, this makes Venom 2 all the more compelling, and I cannot wait to see his vision of that universe come to fruition.
Kudos Sony!
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Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager and Editor of Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, Batman, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter @philthecool where he uses the force frequently!
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Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager, and Editor-In-Chief of The Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force and babbles frequently!
